3 POINTS GO WEST

Frustration at the Meadow as 1st XI Gift West Hampstead win

The team were full of optimism heading in to a fixture that had been highly anticipated since the start of the season. The game started well with Blackheath looking comfortable on the ball and creating multiple openings with some slick 2-touch hockey. Come the end of the game, the team would rue not making the most of this early pressure as West Hampstead struggled to cope. A neatly worked routine from Chris Harden and Dave Lawrence did break the deadlock but giving away an unnecessary short at their own end, West Hampstead quickly equalised against the run of play.

This set the pattern for the majority of the day’s play, Blackheath looked good for the vast majority of the game, but lapses in concentration cost them dear. The second half began at 1-1 but with three yellow cards and playing for 10 minutes with 9 against 11, it made a difficult day into an almost impossible one. Despite going to 3-1 down and a couple of good saves by James Craigmyle, the boys equalised and brought it back to 3-2 whilst still down to 9.

A desperate push in the last 10 minutes saw the team exposed on the break and a quick counter-attack added to the second half frustration. The team have showed grit and determination when behind all season but again came up short and left it too late. Despite getting back to 4-3 and having a short corner in the last play of the game, it was not quite enough to pick up any points. It was a tough loss for the team to take and it is more obvious than ever that a big response is needed.